The Hockey Nuts Podcast, Season 1, Episode 34 is live!

Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I recap all of the news from the past week including the Hurricanes falling out of the Playoff race, and the Bruins and Rangers clinching playoff berths. Only 2 playoff spots remain to be determined, and we will tell you who’s in, who’s out, and who is on the bubble. We’ll also get you up to date with all of the signings of college and junior players turning pro. We’ll tell you all of the stories from our weekend at the NHL Fan Arena, and we’ll also discuss all of the other headlines of the week in a busy week of action around the hockey world. We’ll have all the details, plus some NCAA hockey tournament talk, the KHL playoff minute, and our picks of the week, coming up next!
THN Episode 34 Show Notes

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

Pittsburgh Penguins defensemanKris Letang will have surgery for a herniated disk in his neck and miss the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. “Right now it’s hard to swallow,” Letang said. “It was not expected. Like I’ve done in the past, I’m going to put my energy into getting better.” Letang is expected to be sidelined 4-6 months. “Kris had been making progress and was hopeful of returning for the playoffs until about a week ago, when the progress plateaued. He underwent another MRI, and, at that point it was determined that surgery was needed.” The Penguins will have to attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions without Letang, 29, who has not played since Feb. 21 and has 34 points (five goals, 29 assists) in 41 games. Pittsburgh (49-19-11, 109 points) is five points behind the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference and NHL. In addition to Letang, the Penguins are without forwards Evgeni Malkin (upper body), Carl Hagelin (lower body), Chris Kunitz (lower body), Bryan Rust (lower body) and Tom Sestito (upper body), and defensemen Olli Maatta (hand) and Trevor Daley (knee). Sullivan said Malkin has been skating the past couple of days and is optimistic he’ll be ready for the playoffs.

Clarke MacArthurhadn’t played alongside his teammates in 16 months, so being back brought some tears to his eyes. Once thought lost for the season, MacArthur made his big comeback in the Ottawa Senators’ 2-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday and played 9:44. It was a long road back for MacArthur, who had not played in a game since October 14, 2015, because of post-concussion syndrome. MacArthur was named Third Star for the game.

Carolina Hurricanes forwardBryan Bickell played his first NHL game Tuesday since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November. Bickell, 31, said he appreciates the support he’s received since his diagnosis. Bickell, who had not played for the Hurricanes since Oct. 30, said his return didn’t go how he drew it up in his head. He had a minus-2 rating in 12:35 of ice time in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. His line, with wings Andrew Poturalski, who was making his NHL debut, and Brock McGinn, was on the ice for two of three Wild goals in the first period. His three hits helped quell concerns about his ability to play in the NHL, though. To help him prepare for what lies ahead, Bickell turned to former Wild goaltender Josh Harding, who was diagnosed with MS in September 2012, and retired from the League in 2015. Harding was at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday and talked with Bickell after the game. Bickell has 66 goals and 70 assists in 392 NHL games with the Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. He played 384 games with Chicago from 2007-16, winning the Stanley Cup three times.

CenterJoe Thornton will not play for the San Jose Sharks against the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CA+, SNP, NHL.TV) because of an apparent left-knee injury. Thornton had an MRI on Monday, but coach Peter DeBoer did not reveal the results. Thornton declined interview requests but said he would talk to reporters Wednesday. Thornton, 37, has appeared in 201 consecutive regular-season games, a streak that began on Jan. 10, 2015. He’s missed nine games, seven because of injuries and two while suspended, since coming to San Jose from the Boston Bruins in a trade on Nov. 30, 2005. Thornton was injured late in the first period of a 3-1 win at Vancouver on Sunday when he collided with Canucks forward Michael Chaput along the boards. Thornton’s left knee appeared to buckle, and he struggled to skate off the ice before hobbling toward the locker room. Thornton is fourth on the Sharks with 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) in 79 games. The Sharks are also without center Logan Couture, who will miss his fifth straight game since being hit in the mouth by the puck after a deflection of a shot by defenseman Brent Burns against the Nashville Predators on March 25. “I expect both of them will be back at some point,” DeBoer said. “Until then, I’m going to call it day to day. I don’t have a time frame on it.”

Montreal Canadiens defensemanShea Weber will miss at least the next two games because of a lower-body injury, coach Claude Julien said Monday. Weber was sent back to Montreal to be evaluated and won’t play at the Florida Panthers on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-F, SNE, RDS, NHL.TV) or at the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. The Canadiens, who have four games left, can clinch first place in the Atlantic Division with a win against the Panthers in any fashion Monday. They also can clinch if they get one point against the Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs lose to the Sabres (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports, MSG-B, NHL.TV) in any fashion and the Ottawa Senators lose to the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FS-D, RDS2, TSN5, NHL.TV) in any fashion, or if the Maple Leafs and Senators each lose in regulation. Weber is tied for second among NHL defensemen with 17 goals, and has 42 points and is plus-20 in 78 games. This will be the first game Weber has missed this season.

Philadelphia Flyers Goalie Michal Neuvirth collapsed prior to a neutral-zone faceoff 7:37 into the first period of the Flyers’ 3-0 win against the New Jersey Devils at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. He was removed from the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. All of Neuvirth’s diagnostic testing came back normal and he will be re-evaluated Monday. “My understanding is that his sinus was clogged up and that has something to do with it,” Hextall said prior to the Flyers game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). Hextall added that dehydration might have played a role. Neuvirth is expected to make a full recovery. The Flyers medical staff was aware of Neuvirth’s sinus issue, but Hextall said there were no indications before the game that he was susceptible to losing consciousness and passing out. “He was feeling fine, but he felt this way for I don’t know how long,” Hextall said. “It wasn’t the first day.” Anthony Stolarz replaced Neuvirth and made 26 saves. Stolarz had been recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League earlier Saturday after Steve Mason was too ill to play because of a stomach illness.

New York Islanders centerJohn Tavares is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained in a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The New York captain was battling for control of the puck behind the Devils net late in the third period and tried to avoid New Jersey defenseman Steven Santini but fell to the ice holding the back of his left leg. He needed two teammates to help him get to the locker room. Tavares leads New York with 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in 77 games. If the Islanders don’t make the playoffs, his season may be over. “It’s a big blow,” coach Doug Weight said Friday. “Anytime you see your best player go down, and obviously he was in some distress … but these guys have been around. Injuries happen. It’s not fun, but it gives somebody a chance, right? It’s going to give some more minutes to throw around, some big challenges at a good time of the year.”

Dallas Stars forwardCurtis McKenzie returned to Texas on Friday after he was hospitalized because of an eye injury. McKenzie was injured when he was hit by the stick of Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller in the third period of a 2-0 loss at TD Garden on Thursday. McKenzie had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 53 games this season, his third with the Stars.

Philadelphia Flyers forwardMatt Read will miss the final five games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Read, 30, was injured blocking a shot by New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy in a 6-3 win Thursday. CSN Philly reported Read may have broken his arm. He had 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 63 games this season.

Milestones/Records/Honors/Deaths:

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie centerAuston Matthews set two more records during a 4-2 victory at the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. Matthews, 19, scored his 39th goal in his 78th game during the first period. That moved him past Neal Broten for most goals by a United States-born NHL rookie. Broten was 22 when he scored 38 goals in 73 games for the MIneesota North Stars during the 1981-82 season. It’s also the most goals by a NHL rookie since Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who was 20 at the time, scored 52 goals in 2005-06. The rookie record is 76, set by Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93. The goal gave Matthews 67 points (39 goals, 28 assists), setting a Maple Leafs rookie record. The previous high was 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in 80 games by Peter Ihnacak in 1982-83.

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin, Washington Capitals left wing Marcus Johansson and Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 2. Panarin led the League with five goals in four games (5-1-6) to help the Blackhawks (50-22-7, 107 points) clinch first place in the Western Conference. Johansson led the League in assists and points with 1-7-8 as the Capitals (52-18-8, 112 points) won three of four games to maintain their hold on first place in the overall NHL standings. Talbot went 3-0-0 with a 1.66 goals-against average and .946 save percentage to help the Oilers (44-25-9, 97 points) earn victories against three Pacific Division rivals and clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2005-06.

Toronto Maple Leafs centerWilliam Nylander, who led all rookies with 4-10-14 in 14 games, has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for March. Nylander edged Carolina Hurricanes right wing Sebastian Aho (5-8-13 in 17 GP), Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Jake Guentzel (5-6-11 in 12 GP) and Matt Murray (6-2-1, 2.85 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 SO), and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (2-8-10 in 16 GP) for the honor. Nylander accumulated all of his points during a 12-game streak from March 3-28, setting a record for the longest point streak by a rookie in the Maple Leafs’ 100-year history. His 12-game run also tied the longest point streak by any player in the NHL this season. Nylander, the eighth overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, ranks third among rookies with 58 points in 75 games in 2016-17. He also places in the top five among rookies in power-play points (1st; 25), power-play goals (t-1st; 9), assists (2nd; 37), power-play assists (t-2nd; 16), goals (4th; 21) and shots on goal (4th; 187). The 20-year-old Calgary native also won Rookie of the Month honors in October (4-7-11 in 9 GP). (Nylander, Marner, Matthews)

Tampa Bay Lightning right wingNikita Kucherov, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of March. Kucherov paced the NHL with 12-10-22 in 14 games, and also led the League with six power-play goals, to power the Lightning (38-29-9, 85 points) to a 10-4-1 March. Bobrovsky went 9-1-1 with a 1.09 goals-against average, .967 save percentage and four shutouts to guide the Blue Jackets (49-20-8, 106 points) to a 10-4-2 March, helping the team clinch its third all-time playoff appearance. Kane ranked second in the NHL with 10-12-22 in 16 games as the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks (50-21-7, 107 points) posted an 11-3-2 March to clinch their ninth consecutive playoff berth.

Patrik Elias announced Friday he is retiring as an NHL player after 20 seasons, all with the New Jersey Devils. The forward will skate with the Devils in warmups prior to their final home game of the season, April 8 against the New York Islanders. Elias, who will turn 41 on April 13, retires as the Devils leader in goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), power-play goals (113), power-play points (333) and game-winning goals (80). The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2000, 2003) is first in Devils history in playoff goals (45), assists (80), points (125), power-play goals (21) and power-play points (52), and is tied for the most game-winning goals (six) with Scott Stevens, Petr Sykora, Claude Lemieux and Jamie Langenbrunner. The Devils announced that Elias’ No. 26 will be retired prior to a home game next season. It will join Stevens’ No. 4, Daneyko’s No. 3, Scott Niedermayer’s No. 27 and Martin Brodeur’s No. 30 in the Prudential Center rafters. Elias has not played since April 9, when he had a goal and two assists in last season’s finale, a 5-1 win against the Maple Leafs. He hoped to return for another season but needed to have cartilage replacement surgery on his right knee May 11. It was the second surgery on the knee in four months. Although he was not under contract, Elias resumed skating in September. He took a short break to go home to the Czech Republic for Christmas and resumed skating in January. He was making progress but stopped in early February. https://www.nhl.com/news/patrik-elias-of-new-jersey-announces-retirement/c-288284386

Suspensions/Fines:

Boston Bruins forwardBrad Marchand will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday for spearing against Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin. The incident occurred at 19:20 of the first period of the game at TD Garden. Marchand received a five-minute major for spearing and a 10-minute misconduct. The following grounds are being considered for supplemental discipline: spearing. However, the Department of Player Safety retains the right to make adjustments to the infraction upon review.

New Jersey Devils defensemanDalton Prout has been suspended for two games, without pay, for interference against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas during NHL Game No. 1161 in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 1, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced Monday. The incident occurred at 7:59 of the second period. Prout was assessed a major penalty for interference and game misconduct. Prout is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $38,414.64. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The NHL announced Monday that it will not participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, ending a run of five consecutive Winter Olympics with NHL players. “We have previously made clear that while the overwhelming majority of our clubs are adamantly opposed to disrupting the 2017-18 NHL season for purposes of accommodating Olympic participation by some NHL players, we were open to hearing from any of the other parties who might have an interest in the issue (e.g., the IOC, the IIHF, the NHLPA, etc.) as to reasons the Board of Governors might be interested in re-evaluating their strongly held views on the subject,” the NHL said in a statement. “A number of months have now passed and no meaningful dialogue has materialized. Instead, the IOC has now expressed the position that the NHL’s participation in Beijing in 2022 is conditioned on our participation in South Korea in 2018. And the NHLPA has now publicly confirmed that it has no interest or intention of engaging in any discussion that might make Olympic participation more attractive to the clubs. As a result, and in an effort to create clarity among conflicting reports and erroneous speculation, this will confirm our intention to proceed with finalizing our 2017-18 regular season schedule without any break to accommodate the Olympic Winter Games. We now consider the matter officially closed.” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said in the past several months that the owners were against Olympic participation for a variety of reasons. Chief among them was the 17-day break in the schedule required in February, a time when the National Football League’s season has ended and Major League Baseball’s season has yet to begin. The NHLPA, in a statement released Monday night, said “the players are extraordinarily disappointed and adamantly disagree with the NHL’s shortsighted decision to not continue our participation in the Olympics. “Any sort of inconvenience the Olympics may cause to next season’s schedule is a small price to pay compared to the opportunity to showcase our game and our greatest players on this enormous international stage.” https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-will-not-participate-in-2018-winter-olympics/c-288385598

After playing for more than seven and a half periods and nearly six hours Sunday, Cal Babych evidently had enough. Babych, the son of former NHL player Dave Babych, ended the longest Canadian Hockey League game ever by scoring at 11:36 of the fifth overtime to lift Everett past Victoria 3-2 in Game 6 of the Western Hockey League first round series. The goal was Babych’s second of the game. He also opened the scoring with a goal at 6:31 of the second period. Everett goalie and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carter Hart made 64 saves and was named the game’s first star. Victoria goaltender Griffen Outhouse, a 2017 NHL Draft prospect, made 72 saves but could not stop Babych’s breakaway attempt in the eighth period, five hours and 49 minutes after the game started. At 151 minutes, 36 seconds, the game was about five minutes longer than the previous CHL record, between Victoriaville and Hull of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1999 (146:31). Everett and Victoria also set the record for longest game in Western Hockey League history, which previously was 136:56 in a game between Kamloops and Kootenay on March 25, 2003. The WHL marathon didn’t go quite as long as the eight-overtime playoff epic in Norway, or even the longest NHL game between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons in 1936, but it was the second straight OT game of the series. Everett won the best-of-7 series 4-2 and will play Seattle in the second round.

Former NHL forward Craig Cunningham put on his skates and returned to the ice Friday for the first time since going into cardiac arrest before an American Hockey League game Nov. 19. Cunningham was aided by physical therapists and Conor Garland, his teammate with Tucson of the AHL, before a morning skate at Tucson Arena. Cunningham, 26, was Tucson captain when he collapsed before a game against Manitoba. He had part of his left leg amputated and is walking with help of a prosthetic. He has become a source of inspiration for the Arizona Coyotes and NHL communities. Cunningham participated in a ceremonial puck drop before the Roadrunners game against San Jose on March 25 and will drop the ceremonial first puck as part of Fan Appreciation Night before the Coyotes play the Minnesota Wild on April 8. A fourth-round pick (No. 97) of the Boston Bruins in the 2010 NHL Draft, Cunningham had three goals and five assists in 65 games with the Bruins and Coyotes

Tickets for the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center on June 23-24 will go on sale April 7, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Friday. The Blackhawks will also host an outdoor festival at United Center throughout the weekend that will feature the NHL Centennial Fan Arena, an interactive traveling fan experience which honors the past 100 years of hockey. It includes a museum truck, entertainment truck, a ball hockey rink, a virtual-reality Zamboni experience and the Stanley Cup.

At the invitation of Bloomage International and as a piece of the National Hockey League’s long-term business strategy in China, the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will face off in the first-ever preseason games played in China as part of the 2017 NHL China Games™ presented by O.R.G. Packaging, the NHL®, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and Bloomage International jointly announced Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning. The preseason games between the Kings and Canucks will be played on Sept. 21 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and on Sept. 23 at Huaxi LIVE Wukesong’s Le Sports Center in Beijing, where Last Wednesday’s announcement was made. In addition to the NHL and NHLPA, representatives from the Chinese Government, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Bloomage International and O.R.G. Packaging were on hand for this historic announcement, which advances the NHL’s commitment to grow the game globally, while furthering the League’s international strategy. “The 2017 NHL China Games presented by O.R.G. Packaging represent the formal launch of what we hope will be a long and successful collaboration between our League, our teams and our partners in accelerating the development of hockey in China,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “We look forward to our first games in China and to a variety of initiatives that will inspire generations of Chinese players and fans to enjoy our sport. We recognize the importance of helping China build a strong national hockey program and are committed to supporting that priority in every way possible.” https://www.nhl.com/news/2017-nhl-china-games/c-288214650

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.